Three’s company for girl band’s first tour

Bananarama were ‘the’ girl group of the 1980s. But despite their success, the original trio of Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward never made it out on the road to perform their hits such as It Ain’t What You Do..., Really Saying Something and Cruel Summer for fans.

Sara and Keren continued the band, and have toured and performed ever since, but next Friday will be the first time all three have been on stage together – and they then play Blackpool Opera House on Monday, November 13.

While they’re excited for the reunion, Sara warns fans not to get carried away with what may come for the trio.

“The initial thing was to do a UK tour, and that’s what we’re concentrating on,” she said. “Keren and I are Bananarama; that’s what we do. Siobhan does her own stuff.

“We all have different plans on how we go forward. Keren and I will continue as a duo though.”

After their string of hits, Siobhan walked out on the band in 1988, citing a difference in musical direction and feeling left out by Sara and Keren, who Siobhan said were closer.

Speaking of Siobhan’s departure and the three coming together now, almost 30 years later, Sara said: “Keren and I are a few years younger, we were teenagers when we started and we wanted to make different music; we loved pop. It’s timing; we’ve had enough time apart now and moved on.

“A lot of people had suggested a reunion tour in the past and we thought ‘why would anyone do that?’

“Keren and I tour so much and just thought we would like to do something different. Somone just said ‘what about doing it with Siobhan?’. Keren made the call and Siobhan was quite shocked; you don’t expect it to come into your life again.”

Siobhan moved to America in recent years, but they still meet up when she comes back to the UK: “It’s like as if nothing ever changed,” Sara said.

“When you meet someone when you’re very young it’s like their part of your family, whether you fell out or not – it feels very natural.”